Rantum Capital acquires renowned Ziegler distillery

• Ziegler has been known for its high-quality fruit spirits, in particular the flagship product “Ziegler Wildkirsch No.1”, since its foundation in 1865
• Rantum Capital intends to revitalize the brand image as well as focus and complement the product portfolio
• Andreas Rock, a former manager at Red Bull, takes over the CEO position

Rantum Private Equity Fund II has acquired Gebrüder Josef & Matthäus Ziegler GmbH (“Ziegler”). The seller is Hawesko Group, a listed trading company for high-quality wines, champagnes, and spirits based in Hamburg.

Since its foundation in 1865, Ziegler, based in Freudenberg am Main, has been one of Germany’s best-known distilleries. The company is especially known for its high-quality fruit spirits, which are highly appreciated by the professional public and regularly achieve top rankings in tastings. With the support of Rantum Capital, the high level of brand awareness will be used within a focused distribution to make the existing products accessible to a broader public. In addition, the existing product range will be supplemented by further categories with the help of the high product expertise of the Ziegler team, thus tapping into customer groups and consumption occasions that have not been served so far.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Körber, Industry Partner at Rantum Capital for the “Food & Beverage” sector, comments: “Ziegler, with its history and quality of its products, is a prime example of excellence of the German Mittelstand. We are therefore very pleased to give the company and the Ziegler brand a new home. For the new CEO Andreas Rock, it is both an incentive and an obligation to maintain Ziegler’s strong positioning in its home market and, in addition, to increase the brand awareness in foreign markets.”